Improvement in steam-boiler furnaces



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

E. T. INGALLS, OF HAVERI-IILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-BOILER FURNACES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15,424, dated July 29,1856.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. T. INGALLS, of Haverhill, in the county of Essexand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Steam-Boiler Furnaces; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, hereinafter referred to, forms a full and exact specificationof the same, wherein I have set forth the nature and principles of mysaid improvements by which my invention may be distinguished from othersof a similar class, together with such parts as I claim and desire tohave secured to me by Letters Patent.

The figures of the accompanying plate of drawings represent myimprovements. Figure 1 is a central vertical section of my improvedsteam-boiler furnace. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same, takenin the plane of the line A B, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a central verticalsection showing a modified form of my improvement.

The present invention consists in a novel arrangement of devices wherebythe water to be heated and converted into steam is subjected to a heatemanating directly and constantly from coals in a state of fullcombustion, and in such a manner that the fresh unconsumed coals canhave no effect in deadening or in reducing the head of steam-a resultthat is unavoidable in supplying coals to a steam-boiler furnaceconstructed in the ordinary manner. By my improvements the steam-boileris so combined with a peculiarlyconstructed furnace that the supply offuel is in some degree self-regulating, and a constant and uniform headof steam kept up in consequence of the steady and never- *arying degreeof heat afforded by the furnace.

at a a in the drawings represent the outer casing of the steam-boilerand furnace. b b is the ash-pit. c c is a funnel-shaped casing attachedto the outer casing, 00 a, which forms the bottom portion of thefurnace. d d d is the steam-boiler surrounding an inner cylinder, 6 e.The boiler dd d and its inner cylinder do not extend to the bottom ofthe casing c c, and are supported by flanges g h, &c. The coals are fedin through the top of the cylinder e e until it becomes full or nearlyfull, the fuel resting on the grate-barsi i, &c., and filling the spacebetween themand the bottom of the boiler cl d and fuel-cylinder e e, asshown in Fig. l. The boiler d d being of less diameter than the outercasing, a a, a space or fine, It 7:, is formed around the boiler. ll isa partition-plate attached to and extending around the boiler, with theexception of a small space, m, arranged opposite the delivery-flue n, asshown in Fig. 2. 0 o, &c., are draft-holes extending through thecoal-cylinder and boiler into the fine it It.

From the foregoing description of the construction of my improvedboiler-furnace it will be seen that the inner cylinder being filled withthe fuel, and fire applied to the same at the grate, the coals will soonbecome heated to a red heat up as high as the draftholes 0 0, &c., asthe volume of heated air,

gases, &c., passes up through the fire until it reaches the saiddraft-holes, whence it passes into the fine 70 and circulates around theboiler d d, and then finds an outlet at the flue n, as shown by arrowsin Fig. 1. The currents of heat are prevented from passing directly fromthe ignited coal to the exit-flue n by means of the partition ZZ, beforereferred to, which, being cut away at, m, permits the ascendin currentsto pass through and fill the flue It on the side opposite the exit-fluea before passing out the same. The partition Z I, not being cut away(being provided only with small draft-holes, p p, the.) on the sidenearest the fine it, prevents the heated currents from passing out untilthey have circulated entirely around the boiler.

The fuel is supplied, as fast as consumed, by the dropping of the coalsin the coal-cylinder, and the heat communicated to the water in theboiler is prevented from being transmitted in any degree to theunconsumed coals in the coal-cylinder by a substance or material, q g,which is a non-conductor of heat, placed between the coal-cylinder andthe steam-boiler, as shown in the drawings.

The advantages of the above-described ar rangement of devices willreadily be apparent, for asupply of fuel which will last for aconsiderable length of time without replenishing can be placed at oncein the coal-cylinder, and then require no further care until thesupplyof coal is nearly exhausted, which renders the apparatus ofpeculiar value for any steam-heating devices, as the fuelhas to beremoved only at long intervals by the servant, and the quantity or headof steam also is not as in other steam-heating devices diminished eachtime fresh fuel is added, as, on the contrary, the water in the boileris constantly subjected to the uniform heat of fuel in a full state ofcombustion.

A modification of my improvements is represented in Fig. 3, in which thecoal-cylinder r r surrounds the steam-boiler s 3, instead of, as in thefirst instance, the steam-boiler surrounding the coal-cylinder. The sameresult is secured as in the first-described arrangement-viz.,'subjectingthe water in the boiler to the heat of fuel in a perfect state ofcombustion,'and in such a manner as to prevent the replenishing of thefuel from lessening the head of steam. The fresh coals in Fig.

3 are fed into the outer coal-cylinder, 4" a", surrounding the boiler ss, but separated from the same by a substance, 25 t, that is anonconductor of heat. The bed of the fire, as represented in Fig. 3, isbetween the bottom of the boiler and the grate, and the volume of heatpasses, as shown by the arrows, up through the flue n n, formed Withinthe boiler, out the exit-flue 'v '5. Thus the Water in the boiler s sisalways subjected to the heat of fuel in a full state of combustion,which heat is necessarily uniform.

Having thus described my improvements, whatI claim as my invention, anddesire to have secured to me by Letters Patent, is-

The improvement in steam-boilers, which consists in arranging a fire-potof sufficient depth to contain a large quantityof fuel within or aboutand underneath the boiler, placed concentrically therewith in such amanner as to keep the fuel which is in con tact with the lower part ofthe furnace in a full state of combustion always, as set forth.

E. T. INGALLS.

Witnesses:

EZRA LINCOLN, JOSEPH GAVETT.

